A Nursery Decor S.O.S.

I am 25 weeks pregnant. 25 weeks! I wish I could explain how different my perception of time is this time around. I guess that parenting vortex/worm hole/black hole you get thrown into with your first just never goes away when you get pregnant with the second because I can not wrap my head around how fast this pregnancy seems to be going.

And it terrifies me.

In an effort to maintain some ounce of control over the situation, I think I began nesting the minute I exited the first trimester. Irrational nesting, like, “I WANT ALL THIS CARPET GONE AND I’M NOT COMING HOME WITH THE BABY UNLESS IT’S ERADICATED” nesting.

I actually lost the carpet war. Or, well, I chose to bow out gracefully after coming to the conclusion that I just may have given my husband an ulcer over trying to figure out how to squeeze in (financially and time-wise) putting in hardwood floors between now and Christmas. I laid off after he was convinced he had cancer and wound up going to a series of doctors who basically told him he needed to manage his stress level better.

So I’ve decided to focus my nesting urges on other, more realistic projects, like the nursery. Problem? I have no idea what to do.

With Kendall, we didn’t actually even have a room for him until we moved when he was 8 weeks old, and by then I knew exactly what I wanted. His room came together so much better than I ever imagined and I don’t know how I will ever top it.

I need your help. Please help me come up with a fantastic nursery for baby girl so that I may not lead my husband back into thinking he has cancer again.

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Colors- I want a PB&J inspired color palette. Something similar to this logo, but maybe less pink and more raspberry and purple.

I’m planning to make the bedding myself, and by bedding, I just mean the bed skirt, the sheets, the curtains, crib rail guards and a pillow for the rocking chair. I’m skipping the bumper this time. I was never comfortable with it in Kendall’s bed and wound up putting a breathable bumper on instead. I may go that route, or I may wind up with something else that’s still in the works. Whatever “bumper” I end up using will be white. Here are some of the fabrics I’m looking at order samples of.

Obviously I wouldn’t be using all of those. I’m thinking one of the mainly purple options, one of the brown options and the light brown minky dot.

The furniture we have (crib and rocking chair) is being passed down with the exception of the dresser. It’s all espresso/dark brown.

I’m pretty sure we’re going to end up with this Ikea dresser, but I don’t know if I should keep it espresso and add white knobs to it, or if I should go with white to break up the matchy, matchy vibe a bit.

Oh, and I get to add this charming book case that I got at a consignment sale to the mix, too.

Those are pretty much all the solid ideas I’ve got. I think maybe I like this chipboard chandelier for a mobile, but I could be convinced otherwise. Was also thinking maybe a cutesy, mod-ish hot air balloon one, but that’s mainly in my head as I’ve yet to run across anything that resembles my idea. She will have a new ceiling fan, but it will be a neutral one, not anything theme-y.

We have room for a mural on one wall, and I have an amazingly talented sister in law who could do one for us (she painted the solar system on Kendall’s wall and it is phenomenal), but I don’t want to paint a mural just for the sake of painting one.

I love this inspiration board from OdietAmo.blogspot.com and the ideas she has for a purple and brown, sophisticated nursery, but it’s a tad too much white for my liking.

I also like the idea of adding a bit of a “round the world” influence. You’ll notice that one of the fabric choices I’m considering has little Russian dolls on it, and I think the hot air balloon mobile would be cute to add to that. Was also thinking we could do a cool world map mural if we went with the mural.

Okay… soooo have I completely flooded your senses? Are you too far gone to help me? Am I headed in a million different ways at once? Because that’s exactly how I feel.

Love,

Lost in La La Nursery Land, Trying Not To Make My Husband’s Ulcer Worse

The Amy Butler fabric (top left in your palette) is very nice, but the pattern is pretty far apart on the fabric. I wanted to use the blue version of that same fabric for a valance and the pattern was just too far apart to work. Something to think about if you’ll be using the fabric for smaller pieces. I would have wasted a lot of fabric to get the pattern to look right on such a small piece.

If this baby is a boy, I have the nursery entirely mapped out and planned. It’s adorable. If this one is a girl … OMG I have ZERO idea of what I’m going to do. All I know is I want green and pink (green walls) and like you, I’m making everything and getting a breathable bumper.

Pretty. I think you have a lot more together than you give yourself credit for. I say go white for the dresser and use fun painted or blown glass knobs. I think that will go with the whimsy of balloons. Think you should use the first (drk purple background) fabric. I really like the dark brown on the inspiration board but you are wise to go with the warmer green given the color of the chair. Pair the purple fabric with the middle bottom and the right bottom fabrics. The light damask will bring a little white around to balance the dresser and give you that old meets mod look. You should pull other bright colors (like the rasberry) for the accents (baskets, on pillows, etc). I highly suggest painting the ceiling like a sky and using this mobile(http://www.hangingmobilegallery.com/product/AMFLYINGSKIES-129/Floating-in-the-Skies.html) for the room. Its big, but its fun and whimsical. In a word: wow factor. Hope that helps. We are doing a sailboat theme. =)

I think if you do it right, you’ll have a room she can grow into for aeons to come. Frame a world map. A large-ish one, but not too large. Leave it paper dangling and it will get torn down. Ideas: Animals from around the world– framed prints or awesome stuff like I have in the $1 bin at fabric stores — animals masks made of wood you can paint and hang on the wall/use as distraction at the last minute. Then again, you don’t have to have it perfect. You’ll have time, you know, when she’s 2 or 3, to figure out her nursery. That’s how it’s gone for us. MEanwhile as unhelpful as I am, I do love the color palette and think you’re heading in the right direction. We totally skipped a bumper and ours never hurt herself. EVAH! Seriously. Skip it. 🙂

Love the colors! We did a pink, raspberry and brown nursery for DD and really love it. We have a cherry crib and rocker, but ended up going with the white Hemnes dresser and really love the way it looks. We added pink knobs from Target.

I LOVE all of your ideas! I think a combination of the 2nd fabric in the first row and the 1st and 3rd fabrics in the second row would be incredible. I’ve gone back and forth about whether I like the idea of the dresser in white or espresso, and I think I am landing on white – because your bookshelf find isn’t espresso, I think going with all espresso on the other main pieces is going to make the bookshelf look like it needs to be refinished/painted. So unless you were planning on doing that anyways, I think having one espresso piece, one white piece, and one lighter brown piece would work great together and would tie in the fabric colors beautifully! I think the chipboard mobile is beautiful, but I also love the hot air balloon one, so you just can’t go wrong there in my opinion. I can’t wait to see the final product!

You have more ideas than I have ever had. What more do you need?? I have never had that many details and thoughts go into anything in my life. I’m overwhelmed just looking at it. Good luck with your PB&J, mural or no mural, and espresso furniture… I set up a crib and bought bedding for my second one; however, my house and yard were in mint condition when I went into labor, and that was all the nesting this uncrafty soul did.
Good luck and no I’m sorry I can’t help. You have thought of more than I could ever think of for a baby girl’s nursery. 🙂

I love the middle fabric in both rows and bottom right too. White dresser will even-out the dark/light concept. If you have all dark furniture, I would go with lighter colored fabric with bits of dark (like the chair pillow). Very cute ideas!

Jill,
God I haven’t been on here in like…FOREVER!!! I am a Facebook fanatic now, reconnecting w/ old friends and family. But I decided to check in and see you are having a GIRL???? OMG!!! Congrats!!!! How blessed is that?? I have a boy and a girl too and I consider myself very blessed. We are very lucky to get one of each! I also could not believe you are 25 weeks already. The last time I was on here, you just found out you were pregnant!!! Hahaha! Time flies when your having a baby! Well, in case I don’t check in for another 15 weeks, I hope all is well with your delivery and I hope you little girl brings you and your family years of blessings, I know mine completely changed ours! SHannon